Related papers: White Dwarf Critical Tests for Modified Gravity
A novel constraint on $f(R)$ theories of gravity is obtained from the gravitational wave signal emitted from the binary neutron star merger event GW170817. The $f(R)$ theories possess an additional massive scalar degree of freedom apart…
The best motivated alternatives to general relativity are scalar-tensor theories, in which the gravitational interaction is mediated by one or several scalar fields together with the usual graviton. The analysis of their various…
We calculate the rate of energy loss from compact astrophysical objects due to a scalar field in screened modified gravity models of the chameleon, dilaton and symmetron types. The cosmological evolution of the field results in a…
We derive the main classical gravitational tests for a recently found vacuum solution with spin and dilation charges in the framework of Metric-Affine gauge theory of gravity. Using the results of the perihelion precession of the star S2 by…
White dwarfs rotate. The angular momentum in single white dwarfs must originate early in the life of the star, but also must be modified (and perhaps severely modified) during the many stages of evolution between birth as a main--sequence…
This thesis investigates compact astrophysical objects within modified theories of gravity, focusing on neutron stars and strange stars. The work studies their internal structure, equilibrium, and stability in gravitational frameworks based…
While the accretion power in astrophysics has been studied in many astronomical environments, the ``spin--down power'' is often neglected. In this essay I demonstrate that the spin--down power alone may drive a rotating system from…
The direct detection of gravitational waves (GWs) is an invaluable new tool to probe gravity and the nature of cosmic acceleration. A large class of scalar-tensor theories predict that GWs propagate with velocity different than the speed of…
Horndeski's theory of gravity is the most general scalar-tensor theory with a single scalar whose equations of motion contain at most second-order derivatives. A subsector of Horndeski's theory known as "Fab Four" gravity allows for…
Is the Chandrasekhar mass limit for white dwarfs (WDs) set in stone? Not anymore -- recent observations of over-luminous, peculiar type Ia supernovae can be explained if significantly super-Chandrasekhar WDs exist as their progenitors, thus…
Modified gravity theories on cosmic scales have three key deviations from general relativity. They can cause cosmic acceleration without a physical, highly negative pressure fluid, can cause a gravitational slip between the two metric…
Compact stars have long served as a test bed of gravitational models and their coupling with stellar matter. In this work, we explore the behavior of an exponential model in f(T) gravity through the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equation. This…
The discovery of the existence of an upper bound on the mass of a white dwarf star is considered as one of the finest of twentieth century astrophysics. On approaching this limiting mass of $1.4M_\odot$, known as the Chandrasekhar…
Interior structures of stellar objects might have small pressure anisotropy due to several reasons, including rotation and the presence of magnetic fields. Here, retaining the approximation of spherical symmetry, we study the possible role…
White dwarfs (WDs) can be used as laboratories to test strong gravity and high-density regimes, once their equation of state is not so uncertain as the one of neutron stars. This makes them also a useful tool to constrain dark-matter…
We derive the tensor gravitational waveform generated by a binary of nonspinning compact objects (black holes or neutron stars) in a general class of scalar-tensor theories of gravity. The waveform is accurate to second post-Newtonian order…
Mass estimates of white dwarfs via electromagnetic methods, often differ from those obtained through gravitational redshift measurements, in some cases with discrepancies ranging in $5-15\%$ across independent datasets. Although many of the…
Theories that attempt to explain cosmic acceleration by modifying gravity typically introduces a long-range scalar force that needs to be screened on small scales. One common screening mechanism is the chameleon, where the scalar force is…
Many physically motivated extensions to general relativity (GR) predict significant deviations in the properties of spacetime surrounding massive neutron stars. We report the measurement of a 2.01 +/- 0.04 solar mass pulsar in a 2.46-hr…
The mass-radius relation of white dwarfs is largely determined by the equation of state of degenerate electrons, which causes the stellar radius to decrease as mass increases. Here we observationally measure this relation using the…